Paper guides



Dec. 19, 1961 A. A. SARGENT 3,013,646

PAPER GUIDES Filed June 12, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Piaf/fir 4% fir/MAWINVENTOR AZZerZA fiazyez ATTORNEYS 1961 A. A. SARGENT 3,

PAPER GUIDES Filed June 12, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS UnitedStates Patent Qfice 3,013,646 Patented Dec. 19, 1961 3,013,646 PAPERGUIDES Albert Amos Sargent, Grand Island, N.Y., assignor to MooreBusiness Forms, Inc., Niagara Falls, N.Y., a corporation of DelawareFiled June 12, 1961, Ser. No. 116,572 5 Claims. (61. 197133) Thisinvention relates to paper guides and more particularly to guides forcontinuous, multi-ply webs of record material during the passage thereofthrough a writing or imprinting machine.

in writing or imprinting machines such as typewriters, bookkeepingmachines, etc. wherein a carriage mounting a platen roll moves from sideto side while the imprinting point remains stationary; the feeding ofcontinuous business forms from a stationary pack, and the refolding ofthese forms again into a stationary pack is made difiicult by thenecessary angling of the web as the platen and carriage is shifted fromside to side. The unprinted pack and the refolded pack are usuallyplaced behind the machine and at a lower level. The Web is guided intoand out of the machine by guides which normally comprise smooth surfacesover which the web will slide and these guide surfaces are normallyparallel to the axis of the platen and carriage. The angling of the web,except when the carriage is in the center position, causes all thetension due to the weight of the hanging portion of the web to beapplied to one edge of the web with a consequent looseness of the otheredge of the web. The uneven distribution of the tension in the web oftenresults in an undesirable angling of the web with respect to the platenor other feeding device and produces curved printing lines. Also, theangling effect makes it d'ifiicult to refold the web after theimprinting operation.

The effect of the angling of the web may be minimized by centering theunprinted pack and the refolded pack behind the machine. In this manner,the angling of the web, as the carriage moves between its extremepositions, may be reduced. However, resort to this expedient is a merepalliative and does not solve the p-roblem.

In the past, many types of side guides have been proposed for thepurpose of eliminating this angling of the web; and weights, brushes andother tension devices have been used on top of the web to confine theweb and hold it fiat between the side guides. None of these previousdevices has entirely eliminated the problem and the complaint of curvedprinting lines on the imprinted forms has continued. Manifestly, itwould be highly desirable if a simple web guide could be provided topreclude the application of nonuniform tensions in webs of recordmaterial advancing through writing or imprinting machines which resultin these uneven lines of printing.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide new andimproved web guides capable of being economically manufactured andapplied to existing writing and imprinting machines and which willpreclude the application of nonuniform tensions to webs of recordmaterial and its undesirable consequences.

It is another object of this invention to provide web guides for writingor imprinting machines which are of light weight construction so thatthey may be readily carried by the movable carriage of a Writing orimprinting machine without impeding the operation thereof.

It is a further object of this invention to provide web guides which aremounted on the carriage of a writing or imprinting machine for movementtherewith and which terminate in smoothly curved tips over whichportions of the web of record material will hang so that the tension inthe web due to the hanging portions thereof will be applied to thecenter of the web rather than either edge thereof.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide web guides whichwill enable continuous automatic operation of power driven writing andimprinting machines without the need for constant observation orattendance by an operator.

Further objects of the invention include the provision of a web guidingdevice in which there is no need for adjustment to accommodate webs ofdifferent widths such as would be the case with any device with sideguides. Also in the present development, there is no possibility ofdistortion of any known means of marginal fastening of multiple webs.

With these and other objects in view, the present invention contemplatesthe provision of a pair of web guides each comprising a pair of lightweight metal rods mounted on the carriage of a writing or imprintingmachine for movement therewith and projecting toward the rear of saidmachine in a substantially horizontal plane. The end portions of therods of each pair are bent inwardly toward the longitudinal axes of theguides while being inclined away from the carriage. The inclinedportions of the rods meet at the longitudinal axis of each guide to formsmoothly rounded tip-s at the extreme ends of the guides. The guides maybe either continuous metal rods or pairs of rods which are joined at thetips. stiffening rods are preferably coupled between the lateral rodsadjacent the carriage to provide additional rigidity. When a continuousweb of record material is threaded through the machine, the dependingportions thereof hang from the tips of the guides which are at theextreme ends thereof. Consequently, the tension applied to the sectionsof the web on the guides and in the machine is directed to the centersof the web sections rather than either edge thereof to equalize thetension in both edges and preclude the imprinting of curved printinglines.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention willbecome readily apparent upon consideration of the following detaileddescription when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawingswherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view of a typical writing or imprintingmachine provided with the web guides of the present invention andillustrates in addition the customary positioning of the unprinted andrefolded packs of a zig-zag web of record material being imprinted inthe machine;

FIGURES 2 and 3 are illustrations of the angling effect due to the useof prior art web guides, the surfaces of which are parallel to the axisof the platen roll or other web feeding device;

FIGURES 4 and 5 are views similar to FIGURES 2 and 3 and illustrate howthe tension due to the depending portions of the web are applied to thecenter of the web; and

FIGURES 6 and 7 are perspective views of the web guides of the presentinvention for outgoing and incoming webs, respectively.

Attention now is directed to FIGURE 1 of the drawings wherein isillustrated a typical writing or imprinting machine, designatedgenerally by the reference numeral 10. The machine comprises a base 11which houses the operating mechanisms and a carriage 12 whichis-laterally shiftable along base 11. A platen roll 14 is rotatablymounted on the carriage 12. No further detailed description of themachine 10 will be given since the showing is intended to berepresentative of various types of writing and imprinting machineshaving a movable carriage mounting a platen roll or other web feedingdevice, such as a travelling pin feed mechanism about which recordmaterial is advanced, and since the construction and operation of suchmachines are well-known to those skilled in the art.

The machine is aupplied with a continuous web of record material whichmay be single thickness or multi-ply. A web supply and take up device,designated generally by the reference numeral 16, is provided for usewith the machine 10 and comprises a pedestal 18 mounting adjustableshelves 19 and 20. The shelf 19 supports a zig-zalg pack 21 of recordmaterial and the shelf supports a refolded pack 22 of record materialwhich has been imprinted by the machine 10. As the machine 10 isoperated, the web 15 is drawn from the pack 21, by the indexing of theplaten roll 14, up and over a lower or incoming web guide, designatedgenerally by the reference numeral 24. The web 15 passes around theplaten roll 14 and is imprinted and then moves up onto an upper oroutgoing web guide, designated generally by the reference numeral 25.The web 15 then slides over the end of the guide and descends toward theshelf 26 where it automatically refolds itself.

Attention now is directed to FIGURES 6 and 7 for a detailed descriptionof the construction of the guides 24 and 25. The guide 25 compriseslateral portions 26 of metal or plastic rod. Terminal portions 28 of therods 26 are bent inwardly at 29 toward the longitudinal axis 30 of theguide and meet on the axis 30 to define a smoothly curved or rounded tip31. The rods 26, terminal 28 and tip 31 may be formed from a single rodbent to the shape shown in FIGURE 6, or alternatively, the guide 25 maybe formed of separate rods 26 with the terminal portions 28 welded orotherwise joined to form the tip 31. The guide 25 is provided with apair of mounting brackets 32; by means of which the guide 25 may bemounted on the carriage 12 or on a form feeding device used inconjunction with the platen 14. The specific configuration of themounting brackets 32 is not significant since the shape thereof willdepend upon the specific apparatus to which the guide 25 is to beaffixed. Stiffening members 314 and 35 are secured to the guide 25 togive the guide additional rigidity, although these may be omitted.

The guide 24 is basically the same as the guide 25 and comprises lateralportions 36 and terminal portions 38 which meet at the longitudinal axis39 of the guide 24 to define a smoothly curved or rounded tip 40. Theguide 24 is provided with mounting brackets 41 and an optionalstilfening member 42.

In order that a better understanding of the invention may be had, themode of functioning of the guides 24 and 25 will now be described andcompared with the functioning of prior art guides. Referring first toFIG- UR$ 2 and 3, there can be seen an illustration of the manner inwhich the web 15 buckles and has the tension concentrated in one of theedges thereof when various types of prior art web guides are used.Although these prior art guide devices take many forms, their commoncharacteristic is that the surface over which the web slides, whenchanging from a vertical to a horizontal direction, is parallel to theaxis of the carriage and platen roll and extends for at least a fullwidth of the web. These prior art guides are designated 44 in FIGURES 2and 3. FIGURES 2 and 3 represent the extreme positions of the carriageand platen roll and illustrate the buckling of the web 15 and consequentlooseness of one edge of the web in each instance. ln FIGURE 2, thetension in the web supported by the guide 44, due to the dependingportion of the web 15, will all be applied to the left-hand edge of theweb as indicated by the arrow in FIGURE 2 since this is the only portionof the web touching the guide 44 at the point where the web bends overthe guide. This unevenly applied tension will tend to produce a slidingof the left-hand edge of the web around the platen roll and result in acurved printing line. In FIGURE 3, the relative positions are reversedand all the tension is applied to the right hand edge of the web 15, andagain the result will be a curved printing line. From the foregoing, itcan be seen that when prior art guide devices having a guide surfaceparallel to the axis of the platen roll are used, tension in the web dueto the weight of the depending portion of the web will be applied onlyto one edge of the web except when the carriage is in its centralposition.

Referring now to FIGURES 4 and 5, the manner in which the guides 24 and25 function will now be described. The guide 25 is illustrated, althoughit will be obvious that both guides 24 and 25 function in an identicalmanner. FIGURES 4 and 5 again represent the two extreme positions of thecarriage 12 and guide 25. The web 15 will buckle as before at the pointwhere it is bent over the end of the guide 25. However, with the guidesof the present invention, the web 15 is bent over the smoothly roundedtip 31 rather than over a surface parallel to the carriage 12 as was thecase of the guide 44. In FIGURE 4, the left-hand portion 45 of the web15 at the point of bend may be depressed while the right-hand portion 46is elevated since the web 15 is supported only by the tip 31 at thepoint of bend. Consequently, there is a slackness of the web 15 in boththe portions 45 and 46. The tension applied to the portion of the web 15lying on top of the guide 25, will therefore be applied at a pointdirectly over the tip 31, namely, in the center of the Web asillustrated by the arrow. This tension will be uniforrnally distributedover the entire web so that the tension in both edges will be equalizedand there will be no tendency for one edge of the web to slip relativeto the platen and cause curved printing lines. It is, of course, obviousthat the opposite position, as illustrated in FIGURE 5, will also resultin the tension being applied to the middle of the web rather than toeither edge thereof. Since the web, at the point ofbend, is supportedonly by a small area at the center of the web, the foregoingrelationships will hold through for any position of the carriageintermediate the extreme positions illustrated.

Thus it can be seen that new and improved guide devices have beenprovided which will equalize the tension in the edges of a web of recordmaterial being imprinted in a writing or imprinting machine having amovable carriage to avoid the detrimental effect resulting from the useof guides which concentrate the tension along one edge of the web as theweb is angled due to shifting of the carriage. It is, of course, obviousthat the guides 24 and 25 may be constructed in various manners mostsuitable to the work to be handled. For example, the guides for somepurposes could be constructed of a solid sheet of material rather thanfrom rods and the terminal portions 28 could be of curved or otherconfiguration rather than straight as illustrated in the drawings. Themost important feature of the guides are the tips 31 and 50 whichprovide a central point of support for the depending portions of the webirrespective of the carriage position. This construction results in anequalizing of the tension on the edges of the web which is positionedabout the platen roll and thus precludes the printing of curved printinglines.

Although the manner of functioning of the webs 24 and 25 has beendescribed in connection with the imprinting of a zig-zag web of recordmaterial, it is obvious that the guides will function equally well whenthe web supply and take-up are in the form of rolls.

It is to be understood that the above described arrangements are simplyillustrative of a preferred embodiment of the invention. Numerous otherarrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art toachieve similar devices which will still embody the principal featuresof the present invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. In a writing or imprinting machine wherein a continuous web of recordmaterial is advanced about a platen roll mounted on a movable carriageand past an impression receiving position, a pair of vertically-spacedweb guides mounted on said carriage and movable therewith for equalizingthe tension on the edges of said web, said guides projecting rearwardlyof said machine and having at least the rearmost portions thereof ofdiminishing transverse dimension and terminating in smoothly-curved,centrally-disposed tips.

2. In a writing or imprinting machine wherein a con tinuous web ofrecord material is advanced about a platen roll mounted on a movablecarriage and past an impression receiving position, a pair ofvertically-spaced, horizontal Web guides mounted on and movable withsaid carriage for equalizing the tension on the edges of said web, saidguides projecting rearwardly of said machine and having the ends thereoftapering toward the central axes of said guides in a direction away fromsaid machine and meeting to form smoothly-curved, centrallydisposedtips.

3. In a writing or imprinting machine wherein a continuous web of recordmaterial is advanced about a platen roll mounted on a movable carriageand past a record receiving position, a first web guide mounted on andmovable with said carriage for supporting and equalizing the tension onthe edges of the incoming web, and a second web guide mounted on andmovable with said carriage above said first web guide for supporting andequalizing the tension on the edges of the outgoing web, said guidesprojecting rearwardly of said machine and having at least the rearmostportions thereof of uniformly diminishing transverse dimension andterminating in smoothly-curved centrally disposed tips.

4. In a writing or imprinting machine wherein a continuous web of recordmaterial is advanced about a platen roll mounted on a movable carriageand past a record 6 receiving position, a first web guide mounted on andmovable with said carriage for supporting and equalizing the tension onthe edges of the incoming web, and a second web guide mounted on andmovable with said 7 carriage above said first Web guide for supportingand equalizing the tension on the edges of the outgoing Web, each ofsaid guides comprising lateral portions projecting rearwardly of saidmachine and perpendicular to the axis of said platen roll and terminalportions inclined toward the longitudinal axes of said guides and awayfrom said machine, said terminal portions meeting in smoothlycurved tipsdisposed on the longitudinal axes of said guides. I

5. in a writing or imprinting machine wherein a continuous web of recordmaterial is advanced about a platen roll mounted on a movable carriageand past a record receiving position, a first web guide mounted on andmovable with said carriage for supporting and equalizing the tension onthe edges of the incoming web, and a second web guide mounted on andmovable with said carriage above said first web guide for supporting andequalizing the tension on the edges of the outgoing web, each of saidguides comprising a pair of rods projecting rearwardly of said machinein a horizontal plane from opposite ends of said carriage andperpendicular to the axis of said platen roll, the terminal portions ofsaid rods being inclined toward the longitudinal axes of said guides andaway from said carriage, said terminal portion-s meeting in smoothlyrounded tips disposed on the longitudinal axes of said guides, saidsecond guide being longer than said first guide whereby the tip thereofprojects beyond the tip of said first guide.

No references cited.

